Lyft has partnered with Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company, to integrate its Claude AI assistant into customer service operations. This move is designed to streamline support for drivers and significantly reduce wait times for common inquiries.
According to Lyft, the AI assistant has already been implemented to handle service requests, cutting the average resolution time by 87%. In a demonstration shared by the company, a driver asked the chatbot about eligibility requirements for working with Lyft in their area, and the AI quickly responded with a clear list of five requirements.
Mixed reactions from drivers
While AI-powered customer service may improve efficiency, how drivers react to this change remains to be seen. Many Lyft and Uber drivers have long expressed frustration over lacking direct human support when dealing with critical issues. Introducing an AI chatbot could fuel concerns about the company’s impersonal approach to driver relations.
Lyft has acknowledged these concerns and assured that the chatbot will only handle basic service questions. More complex requests will still be escalated to human representatives for personalised assistance.
AI expands beyond customer support
Beyond customer service, Lyft is also leveraging AI to enhance the productivity of its engineers. The company revealed that approximately 25% of its code is now generated using artificial intelligence.
Lyft and Anthropic, backed by tech giants Amazon and Google, are also exploring new ways to integrate AI into more of the ride-hailing platform’s features. While no further details have been confirmed, this partnership signals Lyft’s growing investment in AI technology to enhance its services.
